Rewind - to joy!

Photo credit - Pieter Lombaard

Oh the joy! As a child of the 80's I could once again relive my high school years this weekend! I could re experience the gut wrenching loss of a boyfriend with "Total eclipse of the heart", relive the garage parties with "What a feeling" from Flashdance and bop my teased hair and be "Simply the best". "Girls just wanna have fun" had a meaning all of its own as our group of "girls" had heaps of shared fun.

This weekend has been an experience second to none. While this was not my first Capital singers (it was my fourth)- it was the first one I participated in that took place in the State theater. To look back and think that this mega professional production started 3 years ago , in a church as venue with just over a hundred voices is amazing. And while it  was without a doubt great to watch for those that attended I am quite sure that it was even more fun for us who was part of the show. The feeling of 3 standing ovations and two totally sold out shows is hard to put into words.  Take a listen below - the whole first act is on this you tube video.

To sing your heart out is a huge joy - the music of the 80's can not be beaten. But the experience is so much more. For a weekend (and two evenings) you almost forget about the day to day things that happen in your life. You forget about the bad work stuff,  the stress and the anxiety and you sing - with 649 other like minded people. The back stage fun was even more that usual this time with such a fun theme. There were make up sessions, hair do' s to die for and lots of jokes. Yes its a very busy and tough program and my feet are still killing me - but it's all worth it. It's a weekend of laughter, song and friendship. Of getting to know some school moms a little bit better and of making new friends.  Of being just a small part of something so huge and so incredible.

"Wind beneath my wings" was hard - for those of us who lost loved ones to cancer and for those who won the fight. But the beauty of Capital Singers is that hand that grabs yours and hold it while you try to wipe those tears so that no one in the audience notice. As we started out my favorite was the Johnny Clegg medley - which I sang with great joy but in the end, nothing beats Toto's "Africa" and as the songs are still turning in my head it is "Africa" that is my constant earworm.  As we sang the encore of "That's what friends are for" we remembered the friends we made the weekend and as we ended with "In the living years" we all knew that not only was the 80's our living years but indeed, we are living them right here, right now.

So this is why I am also returning to this little blog - the joy it sparks. We need to spark our joy in our lives constantly to counter the curve balls life throws at us. So I intend to chat here more often, but to also spark my inner joy in other ways. We as parents ( and specifically not just moms - some dads give their family their all as well) need to find ourselves or at least not totally loose ourselves as we plunge into the last frontier of raising children. Without my hubby this weekend would simply not have been possible and I do hope that I can return the gift of joy to him.

Wishing you all much joy!